Enzymatic Studies on a Cellulase System of Trichoderma viride II. Purification and Properties of Two Cellulases 1

Two cellulase [EC 3.2.1.4] components derived from Meicelase, a commercial crude cellulase preparation from Trichoderma viride, were purified by consecutive column chromatography, and were designated as cellulase II-A and cellulase II-B. Cellulases II-A and II-B were each homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weights of cellulases II-A and II-B were 30,000 and 43,000, respectively, on the basis of Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. Both enzymes contained 12-14% carbohydrates (as glucose). Some properties of the purified cellulases were investigated. The optimum pH and temperature for cellulases II-A and II-B were pH 4.5-5.0 and 60 degrees, and pH 4.5-5.0 and 50 degrees, respectively. Both enzymes were stable over the range of pH 5.0-7.0 at 4 degrees for 24 hr. Cellulases II-A and II-B retained 27 and 41% of the original CM-cellulose-saccharifying activities, respectively, after heating at 100 degrees for 10 min. Both enzymes were completely inhibited by some metal ions such as 1 mM Hg-2+, and partially by 1 mM Ag-+ and Cu-2+. However, Mg-2+, Fe-2+, and several other metal ions showed no inhibition at this concentration. The hydrolysis of CM-cellulose by cellulase II-A was more random than that by cellulase II-B.